Death Canyon Trail

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Death Canyon Trail is a hiking trail in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It is within Grand Teton National Park. It is 9.4 miles long and begins at 6,773 feet altitude. Traveling the entire trail is 19.1 miles with a total elevation gain of 6,068 feet. The Death Canyon Trailhead information board and Death Canyon Parking and another parking are near the trailhead. There are also restrooms. The Horse Camp, Camp site, Horse Camp, and Group Camp sites and the Phelps Lake Overlook viewpoint can be seen along the trail. The trail ends near the Fox Creek Pass (elevation 9,560 feet) information guidepost.

Death Canyon Trail is a hiking trail in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It is within Grand Teton National Park. It is 9.4 miles long and begins at 6,773 feet altitude. Traveling the entire trail is 19.1 miles with a total elevation gain of 6,068 feet. The Death Canyon Trailhead information board and Death Canyon Parking and another parking are near the trailhead. There are also restrooms. The Horse Camp, Camp site, Horse Camp, and Group Camp sites and the Phelps Lake Overlook viewpoint can be seen along the trail. The trail ends near the Fox Creek Pass (elevation 9,560 feet) information guidepost. This trail connects with the following: Teton Crest Trail and Buck Mountain Pass Trail.

"The hike up Death Canyon to Fox Creek Pass is the longest in this book. It requires much physical stamina and an early departure (or plan the hike as an overnight trek). The 9,560-foot Fox Creek Pass is at the boundary of Grand Teton National Park and the Jedediah Smith Wilderness on the crest of the Teton Range, where the trail joins the Teton Crest Trail. The trail steadily climbs up Death Canyon to the headwaters of the creek and Fox Creek Pass.

The views throughout the canyon and from atop the pass are fantastic. As the trail nears the pass, it follows below the expansive Death Canyon Shelf at the head of the canyon (back cover photo). The rock shelf formation forms a towering wall along the upper canyon, surrounded by jagged 1 0,000-foot peaks. The shelf is an impressive limestone wall with thick horizontal stripes that stretches for three miles, from Fox Creek Pass to Mount Meek."

"Death Canyon is a magnificent vertical-walled canyon with some of the oldest rock in the Teton Range, dating back 2.5 billion years. The canyon is a wide, glacier-carved canyon with a broad floor, a gorgeous cascading creek, and jagged mountain peaks. Death Canyon Creek flows more than 2,000 feet down the canyon, from just below Fox Creek Pass into Phelps Lake."

"The 1 0,790-foot Static Peak Divide, near the national park boundary, is a high-alpine divide that lies between Death Canyon and Avalanche Canyon. This hike climbs up Death Canyon to the patrol cabin (Hike 6), then veers north to Static Peak Divide on the Alaska Basin Trail.

Nestled beneath the sheer, jagged cliffs of the Teton Range, the strenuous Alaska Basin Trail gains 3,000 feet in four miles up to the divide. From the divide are sweeping panoramic vistas of Jackson Hole, the Snake River, and the Gros Ventre Range. Beyond the divide, the trail drops into Alaska Basin in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness."

"Death Canyon to Fox Creek Pass is the longest hike in this book. It requires having much stamina and leaving early, or planning the hike as an overnight trek. The 9,560-foot pass is at the boundary of Grand Teton National Park and the Jedediah Smith Wilderness on the crest of the Teton Range. The trail climbs up Death Canyon to Fox Creek Pass and the expansive Death Canyon Shelf at the head of the canyon. Death Canyon Shelf forms a towering wall on the north side of the upper canyon, surrounded by jagged 10,000-foot peaks. The shelf is an impressive limestone wall with thick horizontal stripes that stretches three miles between Fox Creek Pass and Mount Meek."

"Death Canyon is a magnificent vertical-walled canyon with some of the oldest rock in the Teton Range, dating back 2.5 billion years. The canyon is a wide, U-shaped, glacier-carved canyon with a broad floor, a gorgeous cascading creek, and jagged mountain peaks. Death Canyon Creek flows more than 2,000 feet down the canyon, from just below Fox Creek Pass, into Phelps Lake. The Death Canyon patrol cabin is a small log structure built in the 1930s. It is occupied by crews patrolling and maintaining the trails. This hike climbs through the narrow rock portals at the mouth of the canyon and traverses the north flank of the canyon to the patrol cabin."

"The 10,790-foot Static Peak Divide, near the national park boundary, sits between Death Canyon and Avalanche Canyon. This hike climbs up Death Canyon to the patrol cabin, then veers north to Static Peak Divide on the Alaska Basin Trail. Nestled beneath the sheer, jagged cliffs of the Teton Range, the strenuous Alaska Basin Trail gains 3,000 feet in four miles. From the divide are sweeping panoramic vistas of Jackson Hole, the Snake River, and the Gros Ventre Range. Beyond the divide, the trail drops into Alaska Basin in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness."

Recent Trail Reviews

The plan sounded easy - Phleps Lake through Open Canyon to Mt. Hunt Divide to Marion Lake through Fox Creek Pass down to Death Canyon and out at Phelps Lake again. In reality, the first 8 miles to the top of Mt. Hunt Divide is strenous enough even for a park ranger to call it "an ambisious hike". Now add 40lbs. pack on your back and a first day in elevation over 5,000 feet and you can imagine our struggle. However, the views and the vastness of the mountains, the meadows, and the valleys vere absolutely unsuppressed and one of a kind. There was snow on trails but not enough to hinder our pleasant experience. Death Canyon is a day hike destination, so you will encounter more traffic there, while Phelps Lake is almost like a mall on a rainy day, with the coresponding foot traffic.

Gorgeous hike. It is a good climb up to the mouth of the canyon and again at the end as you head into the pass, but most of the trail through the canyon is very moderate and scenic. I did this hike for the wildflowers, but I think it was too early in the year for them to be in full bloom. Even without the flowers I was expecting, this hike was certainly worth the effort. Keep an eye out for moose in the first part of the canyon - I saw two.

This is a short yet very isolated trail. Since it is not maintained, certain parts of it are hard to follow which gives it more character. It is a flat trek but the forrest is incredible. There is a fantastic pine tree canopy keeping you out of the sun and the trees are spaced out far enough so that you can see deep into the forrest. An absolutely awesome site. Leigh Lake is so placid that an almost erie feeling hangs in the air. I recommend camping at Leigh Lake site #13. It is on a small beach on the lake and you can dip your feet in the cold water and fish. The morning brings an incredible sunrise across the lake.

Beautiful trail. It's a very good trail esspically the Death Canyon part. I would reccomend it to any one. We actually went from Fox Creek, Death Canyon,to Hurrican Pass and on to String Lake. It was about 30 miles. We did it in 10 hrs.